Songkou Town’s places of interest

Songkou has beautiful mountains and rivers, and is praised as a lion (mountain) and an elephant (mountain) guarding the water mouth. Because of the beautiful scenery, it is known as the "Eight Scenic Spots of Songkou" or the "Ten Scenic Spots of Songkou", but there are different opinions. The places of interest and historical sites in Songkou that can be visited today are divided into scenic spots, and the tourist attractions in each place are briefly introduced.

1. Liangsanji Scenic Area

Shixiangbashuikou

On both sides of the Meijiang River near Liangshanji, there are small hills in the north and south along the river. About 1 kilometer down the river from Yuankui Pagoda, you can see the gate that looks like a lion and an elephant guarding Songkou. This is a landscape of Songkou. The lion lies in the south and is called Lion Mountain. The elephant is on the north bank (in the north of the stream) with its nose extending towards the center of the river, which is called Xiangshan. The lions and elephants work together to guard the Meijiang River. Li Erhe praised "the waves and thunder on the beach of lions and elephants", how magnificent it is.

Yuankui Pagoda

Yuankui Pagoda was built in the late Ming Dynasty by Li Erhe, a local man. Construction started in 1619 AD and took ten years to complete. Li Erhe personally inscribed the door couplet, which only numerically depicts the image of the tower and expresses Li Erhe's own ambition. The tower is nine stories high, about fifty meters high. It stands on the top of a cliff, with a cliff as its base and a pool of water as its footing. The cliff-high tower is even higher, majestic and beautiful, and attracts endless tourists. Yuankui Pagoda is a scenic spot in eastern Guangdong. In 1982, the Guangdong Provincial Post Office used ten famous pagodas as postage stamps, and Yuankui Pagoda was one of them.

Under the Yuankui Pagoda, it is called Pagoda Pool. When the river is full, the river below the cliff is full of pools. When the water rises, it rolls up thousands of piles of snow, surges, and thousands of horses gallop. The scenery is extremely spectacular.

Xie Yiqiao Monument

Xie Yiqiao Monument is built near Yuankui Tower. In 1905, patriotic overseas Chinese Xie Yiqiao and Xie Liangmu Kunzhong assisted Sun Yat-sen in organizing the Chinese Revolutionary League and became the first members. Yiqiao was sent back to eastern Guangdong to carry out activities and develop the organization. Mr. Yiqiao loved his country, his people and his hometown. After his death, people set up a monument here to commemorate him.

Red-faced Stone

The parasol looms in front of the cliff, which is reddish brown and is several miles long. It is called "Red-faced Stone" and is a "Danxia landform". The top of the cliff is shaded by green trees, which also depicts the majesty of Parasol. This place is also the site of an ancient battlefield.

2. Tongpa Bridge Scenic Area

To the north of Pan'an Bridge, there is Shidetang, which has experienced four hundred years of wind and rain. Going further north, there is Aichun Tower, where Sun Yat-sen inspected Songkou. To the west of Pan'an Bridge is the oldest stone arch Wulong Bridge in Songkou, and there is a Wuxiang Palace nearby. They are described separately as follows.

Pan'an Bridge

Pan'an Bridge is built at the exit of Songyuan River into Meijiang River. It is built with granite strips. The whole bridge has 8 piers and 9 holes, each hole is made of Nine granite strips are arranged, each 8 meters long and nearly half a meter wide and thick. How could 81 huge long stone strips be lifted from the river to a 6-meter-high bridge pier with the seams aligned neatly and neatly under the productivity of the time when they could only be carried by hand and shoulder? Now the bridge deck is paved with cement, and you can only watch this ingenious craftsmanship under the bridge. These granite building materials are generally produced in Dabu, a neighboring county. The difficulty of manual transportation is unimaginable! The cost of building the bridge was initiated by overseas Chinese Xie Yiqing and Xie Mengchi and his son, and sponsored by brothers Zhang Rongxuan and Zhang Yaoxuan.

Shide Hall

Shide Hall was built in the late Ming Dynasty, more than 400 years ago. It is huge and well-preserved to this day. It is a Hakka style with three halls and four dots, and three walls. The semi-circular dragon house has 72 patios, 24 gatehouses, and more than 200 rooms. It is divided into independent residential areas, connected by doors. The upper, middle and lower halls of the main hall are connected into one, and can hold 150 tables. Table for thousands of people to dine. There is a watchtower on the second floor outside. This is another military fortress that can resist foreign invasion and retreat step by step. This house contains rich Hakka cultural resources and is a living textbook for the study of Hakka architectural culture. It has attracted many Chinese and foreign experts, scholars and tourists to visit.

Aichun Tower

Aichun Tower is the former residence of brothers Xie Yiqiao and Xie Liangmu, giant overseas Chinese businessmen in the late Qing Dynasty. The two brothers assisted Sun Yat-sen in overthrowing the feudal dynasty and made great contributions. At the end of May 1918, Dr. Sun Yat-sen made a special trip to Songkou for inspection and visited the Xie brothers living in Aichun Building. He personally inscribed a couplet for Aichun Tower: "Brotherhood follows my ambition, and Yichun has this home" and "Patriotism and love for the people, the spring breeze and spring rain for the children of Zhilanjia in Yushu, the painted buildings of Zhulou are a good home." Inscription to the Xie brothers.

Wulong Bridge

Wulong Bridge (commonly known as Wuxiangong Bridge) was built by Li Yi in the ninth year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. It is one of the earliest stone arch bridges in Songkou, with a length of 17 meters. , 3 meters wide, with double floors and single holes. It has been built for more than 300 years and half a century, and has tens of thousands of students studying there. It is also the ancestral home of Liang Mi'an who received Sun Yat-sen's "Jingyi Zhuang".

Still intact.

Wuxian Palace (Xianguang Temple)

Wuxian Palace was built in the ninth year of Kangxi. It fell into disrepair and collapsed. After 1980, overseas Chinese donated money to rebuild it. There are still engraved inscriptions on it. The stone incense burner of the "Wuxian Emperor" is an antique. About 100 meters in front of the gate of Wuxiang Palace, there is an ancient kapok tree, and a banyan tree grows from the tree. It looks even more ancient.

Xiadian Bamboo Forest Scenic Area

There is a section of the Songyuan River between Pan'an Bridge and New Tongpa Bridge (a highway bridge built in 1969) that is about 1 kilometer long and about 50-50 meters wide. —200-meter central dam. The soil in the central dam is fertile and bamboo grows there. During the flood season, the dam here becomes an "island in the middle of the lake". To the north of the island in the center of the lake is the New Tongpa Bridge and to the south is the Meijiang River. People stand on the Pan'an Bridge at the intersection of Songyuan River and Meijiang River to watch the scenery. The endless bamboo forest on the island in the center of the lake is lush and green, and the green waves of the bamboo forest are rippling in the wind. The trees on both sides of the river are shady and the flowers and fruits are fragrant. Ancient and modern dwellings are sandwiched among the green trees. It is well-proportioned and spectacular; the boats in the river are reflected in the center of the river, making the scenery picturesque. The poetic and picturesque scenery is refreshing and attracts many tourists to stop and take photos.

3. Songkou Town Scenic Area

In the late Ming Dynasty, Li Erhe took the prince to Songkou and built a simple palace, which was called "Academy" to the outside world. There is a bridge in front of the courtyard. The prince passed by it when he landed. It is now called "Lantern Bridge" but is actually "Denglong Bridge". Climbing the eleven steps in front of the main entrance of the academy makes the academy look majestic and majestic. A gate tower was built in front of the academy, with large stone drums on the left and right. Entering the outer hall, there are guard rooms on both sides. Go through the long corridor, climb a few steps, and enter the central hall. Behind the hall are the main entrance and doors on both sides. Entering the long corridor, there is another inner hall, and there are also doors on both sides at the back of the hall.

Ancient Streets

Songkou was established earlier, and street buildings from various periods are still preserved today. Under the Meidong Bridge, the streets along the river are convenient for freight transportation and commerce is prosperous. The shops are mostly two- or three-story sand-grey wooden buildings. The streets were widened in the early years of the Republic of China and are improved Ming and Qing Dynasty buildings. On the north side of the main street, there are still small streets and alleys and stone floors, such as Shide New Street, which is basically the original Ming and Qing streets. In the early 1930s, overseas Chinese invested in the construction of their hometown and built a number of reinforced concrete shops near the Fireship Wharf. Among them, near the fireship pier, overseas Chinese Liao Fangzhou and Zhong Chengcai invested in building "arcade-style" European and Nanyang-style shops, which are very distinctive and can be said to be representatives of this period.

Zhongshan Park

In 1933, Zhongshan Park was built to commemorate Sun Yat-sen’s inspection in Songshan. Now entering the gate, there is a stone statue of Sun Yat-sen. There is a "Mi'an Pavilion" in the park. It contains the "Jingyi Zhi" signed by Sun Yat-sen to Liang Mi'an in the early Republic of China, as well as the handwritings of Lin Sen, Chiang Kai-shek and other heads of the Chongqing government during the Anti-Japanese War. It is rare in other parks. A "Luoyang Bridge" was also built to commemorate the anti-Japanese martyr Li Ai, which is elegant and beautiful. The park is lined with green trees and attracts many tourists. There is also the Songkou Library built in the early Republic of China on the side of the park.

Jinshan Mountain

Behind the old school of Songkou Middle School in Meixian District, Meizhou City is Jinshan Mountain. Jinshan is one of the "Eight Scenic Spots" of Songkou Lao and "Jinshan Night View". Nowadays, a "Jinkang Garden" has been built, and the natural landscape has been replaced by artificial landscape. There are many people taking a rest in Jinkang Garden.

Chengde Tower

Chengde Tower is famous in Songkou. It is a magnificent Hakka palace-style building with three halls and four touches of gold. It is still well preserved. It was built in 1908 and took ten years to complete. It cost 180,000 Guangyang. The house has 48 halls, 18 patios and 108 rooms. It is a two-story building. The stone pillars in the main hall are 6 meters high and there are carved beams and painted pillars. In the garden behind the house, there are still several laurel lychee trees, which are of good taste. Chengde Building is also famous because it has provided Songkou Middle School as classrooms and dormitories for half a century, with tens of thousands of students studying there. It is also the ancestral home of Liang Mi'an who received Sun Yat-sen's "Jingyi Zhuang".

Wen's Jinglu

Wen's Jinglu is the former site of the "Songkou Sports Institute" founded by the Songkou Alliance in 1907 to train military talents.

At that time, the school enrolled 120 students from the fifth generation of Jiaying, and trained Rao Futing, Lin Xiuming, Zhou Zeng and others among the seventy-two martyrs of Huanghuagang. Wen's Jinglu was also the Hanlin Academy in the late Qing Dynasty and the former residence of Wen Zhonghe, the main article of "Jiaying Prefecture Chronicles". Wen Zhonghe's son Wen Jinghou was the leader of Sun Tongmenghui in eastern Guangdong.

Ganlu Pavilion

Ganlu Pavilion is about 2 miles upstream from Songkou. It is the first stop before sea transportation. The pavilion is built next to the big banyan tree on the river bank. Visitors often come here to drink tea and talk about farewell. Pedestrians and porters rest their shoulders here, drink big bowls of tea and enjoy the coolness. It is a good place for people to relax. It is lively and Also quiet. Therefore, it is said that "Twenty dew enjoys the coolness" and "Twenty dew is used to drink tea". The Twenty Dew Pavilion faces the Meijiang River, and on the south bank there are the Tantou Chuigou with Songkou Laoba scenery, the bamboo forest at Zhentou, the Huangdu Ferry in the south of the stream, and the Yuankui Pagoda and Baogai Temple on the south bank. One of the eight scenic spots in Songkou is Ganlu Pavilion. Three more bridges were built over the present-day Meijiang River, and the view from Ganlu Pavilion is both beautiful and spectacular. Next to it is an ancient banyan tree that grows on the north bank of the Meijiang River. This ancient banyan tree has a history of more than 300 years.

Liu Gong called the ferry

A few dozen meters down the river from the south end of Meidong Bridge, there is a water bank, which is said to be the "moat" of Liu Gong's time. There is a saying in Xinan School This is his station, and a few dozen steps down is Liu Huang's ferry. Liu Gong made the transition here, and the land on the north bank of the stream was called Landing Tower. At Liuhuang Ferry, the ancient banyan trees are densely green and quiet. When the night is deep and quiet, tourists call for the ferry, and the high-pitched whirling, shaking the river water, winding back to the banyan forest, is like the sound of nature. In addition to commemorating "Emperor Liu Gong", the emotions and shadows blend together, making it even more touching. There are no ferries now, but the beautiful scenery is still there, and a "forest of laymen" was built to cultivate the mind and character, adding to Liu Huang's beauty.

Mafangping

Mafangping is said to be the place where Liu Gong’s garrison built houses to herd war horses. Although there are no remains now, it is the hometown of Qiu Jiuhua, who was the censor of the Yongzheng Imperial Academy and the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. He was once famous for his "one book, two images, and another book of nine ministers", and was praised as an iron-pen censor. The story of his youth "Suppressing the Gouchen Prince" is still passed down. Mafangping is also the hometown of Ms. Qiu Ruxue. Qiu Bingmin, a native of Mafangping, married a German girl and gave birth to a daughter named Ruxue. Ru Xue's hair is completely yellow, her skin is as white as snow, and she has the beauty of a mixture of Eastern and Western races. Homeschooled as a child and loved by everyone. In 1957, she married Jiang Weiguo in Japan and gave birth to a son, Jiang Xiaogang, in 1962. Today, the former residence of Qiu Ruxue (Qiu Ailun) is well preserved.

Mantou Nunnery

In Songnan Mantou Pit, there is a small mantou hill. With dense trees and gurgling springs, a nunnery was built in the valley, named Fuyuan, commonly known as Mantou nunnery. The nunnery is elegant, quiet and comfortable, with an endless stream of pilgrims and tourists. This nunnery is famous far and wide.

4. Xianxi Scenic Area

Xianxi Village is about 4 kilometers away from Songkou Town. It faces Wuzhi Peak in the south and leans on Aotou Peak in the north. It has beautiful mountains and clear waters, and beautiful bells and souls. The beautiful scenery in the village is fascinating and famous. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Wang Zhefu, a state official in Jiaying Prefecture who was proficient in the art of surveying and surveying, came here to visit and admire it. He praised this place as a place with beautiful scenery and outstanding people. Many literati from ancient and modern times came here to visit.

The "Carp-shaped Wailong House" of the Yuan Dynasty

Xiankou Village still preserves a "Weilong House" built in the late Song Dynasty and the early Yuan Dynasty. The house is named "Weili". It is a carp-shaped two-story building. It is said that Duke Songgang, the founder of the Liang family in Songkou, lived here when he moved to Songkou from Ninghua, Fujian. The structure of this house is unique, and the gate looks like a gate tower. It is built on a two-foot-high river bank and has strong defensive capabilities. Due to the age, only half of the buildings that have not collapsed are still inhabited.

Xiankou Tower

Xiankou Tower (also called Wenkui Tower) was built in the fourth year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty (1854) and is located on the west bank of Songyuan River in Xianxi Village. It is an ancient pagoda with five rooms of brick and wood structure, with wooden stairs leading to the top floor. The tower is surrounded by shady trees, fragrant flowers and fruits, and elegant scenery. Climb to the top and enjoy the view of the Hakka houses along the Songyuan River, the nearby Xianxi Bridge and the beautiful bamboo forests along the river. It is said that in the old days, villagers raised funds to build the pagoda in order to have more literati in the village. In the past, after the students in the village obtained honors and degrees, they would go to the pagoda to burn incense and express gratitude. Since the completion of the pagoda, the number of people in the village who have passed the exams has increased year by year. It is known that during the imperial examination period, there were people in the village who passed the Jinshi, Juren, and Xiucai. During the Republic of China, four people in Xiankou Village studied abroad, and four people served as county magistrates. , three generals emerged.

So far, more than 100 people in Xiankou Village, with a population of about 2,000, have been admitted to university. Among these people are university presidents, professors, senior engineers, writers, journalists, doctors, calligraphers and painters, etc.

Xiankou Bamboo Forest

Xiankou Silk Bamboo Forest (Bamboo Forest). It is on the Songyuan River above Xianxi Bridge. There is a 1-kilometer-long area on the left side of the river bank covered with dense bamboos. The bamboo strips are several feet long. There are dense bamboo forests on the bank and gurgling water in the river. People stand on the dam of the power station and look at the bamboo forest and the ancient pagoda at the entrance of the village. The scenery is beautiful and spectacular.

5. Yunmei Scenic Area

Yunqiao Night Moon

Of the eight scenic spots in Songkou, only "Yunche Night Moon" is deep in the mountains and can be enjoyed at night. In that moon, there were few stars, and the moonlight shone on the majestic Longshan Hushan and Yuncheqiao. In the quiet Longwen River, a cloudy Cheqiao, Longhushan and a bright moon were reflected. There is a moon in the sky and a moon in the water. Under the reflection of the moonlight, the bridge, above the water and under the water, becomes a moon garden again. It forms a wonderful scene with dangerous mountains on all sides and three bright moons. Many people come to watch it. The ancestral home of the mother of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is located here.

Wu Lanxiu’s former residence

Wu Lanxiu was a native of Shiqueli, Yuncheqiao, and was a candidate for the imperial examination during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. He devoted himself to the study of knowledge, studied poetry, and was good at arithmetic. He was proficient in textual research and wrote prolifically. He was a famous expert on the history of the Southern Han Dynasty in my country. The "Xuehaitang", where students from the four major academies in Guangzhou study classics and history, specially appointed Wu Lanxiu as its first senior student. His calligraphy and other relics are still preserved in his former residence.

6. Songnan Scenic Area

Hengxi Ancient Banyan Tree

Hengxi Ancient Banyan Tree has thick roots deep into the ground, branches pointing to the sky, dragons and tigers leaping, and green trees covering the earth. . According to research, the side of the ancient banyan tree is the former site of Ye Jianying Kangshuai's father, Zan Xianggong, who ran the "Zhihe" business, and the place where Ye Shuai lived in his childhood. The "Confucius Sheng Peng" to the north of the banyan tree is the school where Ye Shuai received his enlightenment. Hengxi Primary School under the banyan tree is the "Xinqun School" where Ye Jianying graduated from Dongshan Middle School and taught for one year.

The ruins of Sanjingou’s former residence

Sanjingou was a native of Shibidu, Xiaohuangsha, Songnan. He was old and poor. At midnight on New Year's Eve, his son from Southeast Asia came back. He was overjoyed, but before he knew it was about to dawn, he was worried again about how to honor his grandfather. His son took out three large baskets of lace (silver coins) in place of the three animals. As soon as they entered the ancestral hall, everyone was surprised and greeted each other with smiles: "San Bo Gong, congratulations!" They all said good things to the three-pound dog. The three-jin dog laughed and said, "I grow up so fast. Three catties of dog in the morning and three bojin (one hundred catties) in the next night." Everyone also agreed with "yeah, right" and circled around him. Sanjin Dog built a big house, but it was later burned down by a fire, and the ruins remain today.

Danzhuwo Power Station

The power station was built on the Lanjiang River in Danzhuwo. The Meijiang River flows out of Pinghu Lake, Hengshan adds scenery, and the coast is lit up with pearls.

7. Songdong Scenic Area

Qinglong Temple

There is a temple called Qinglong Temple in Zhongjing Village, Songdong. It is located on Qinglonggang in the high mountains. It has a history of more than 300 years. There is a mountain on the right side in front of the temple, shaped like a white tiger. The green mountains and green waters here have pleasant scenery. Qinglong Temple was the seat of the Songdong Soviet government during the Great Revolution and administered Jiuxiang. In 1950, the Central Committee’s condolences delegation came here to express condolences.

Cascade Power Station

Several villages in Songdong are in mountainous areas, including Mitsui, Santa, Sanshe and other villages deep in the mountains. The streams flowing out from Sanjing and Santa go to Zhongjiang Village to form a Jiexi River and flow into the Meijiang River. The local government used this small river to build ten power stations, large and small, forming a cascade. It is worth visiting the first and second stops of Tapengjiao. The water flow and rocks here are really intriguing for city dwellers to see. At the entrance of Jiantian Village, there are two ancient citron trees that are more than 300 years old and the wonder of natural stalagmites in Shanmenchen. The Nanshanli Scenic Area remains to be developed.

Songkou Ancient Street - China’s Famous Historical and Cultural Street

After the preliminary evaluation of the “China’s Famous Historical and Cultural Street” expert review committee, public voting and expert final evaluation, the list was selected from more than 20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Among the nearly 100 streets that were applied for, 10 blocks stood out and were selected into the fifth "China's Historical and Cultural Streets". Songkou Ancient Street, Songkou Town, Guangdong Province, was on the list.

These 10 "Famous Historical and Cultural Streets in China" are Shamian Street in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, North Shaanxi Road in Jing'an District, Shanghai, Guzi Street in Puyang County, Henan Province, and Hekou Ming Street in Qianshan County, Jiangxi Province. Qing Ancient Street, Longchuan Water Street, Jixi County, Anhui Province, Doumen Old Street, Doumen Town, Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, Yongning Old Street, Yongning Town, Shishi City, Fujian Province, Songkou Ancient Street, Songkou Town, Meixian District, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, Huangshan Town, Taixing City, Jiangsu Province Qiao Old Street, Xinchang Ancient Town, Dayi County, Sichuan Province.

The "China's Historical and Cultural Streets" selection and promotion event was approved by the Ministry of Culture and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and co-sponsored by China Culture Newspaper and China Cultural Relics Newspaper. Since its launch in 2008, 50 historical streets have been selected. A well-protected and representative historical and cultural district. Shan Jixiang, Director of the Palace Museum and Director of the Expert Review Committee, reviewed the five-year process of the "China's Historical and Cultural Streets" selection and promotion event at the previous expert review meeting, especially the authoritative, fair and open selection mechanism, and its The extensive advocacy of public participation was highly affirmed. He said that now that urbanization is accelerating, the protection of historical and cultural blocks has reached a critical historical period, and the few remaining historical and cultural blocks are facing the problem of repositioning. It is very important to introduce correct protection concepts and practical experience, which plays a great guiding role in protecting historical and cultural blocks.